This one really is an "everyday" favourite for me. It takes a bit of patience if you're doing the sauce from scratch. But, there's really no reason you should: the heritage producers of this classic sauce in a readymade format make life entirely easier for any lover of food from the Indian subcontinent.
Shopping list
Skinless chicken breasts; or large boneless thigh fillets; 1 per diner; cubed in an irregular manner cut into "bite-size" pieces
2 medium onions; chopped
10 cloves of garlic; very finely chopped or grated
A sizeable piece of fresh root ginger (roughly equivalent to a golf ball in volume); roughly grated or very finely chopped
3 or 4 medium-size potatoes; peeled or with their skins on and scrubbed; cut into "rustic", chunky pieces
3 or 4 medium or large carrots; peeled and cut into segments of about 3cm
3 or 4 large large stalks of celery; scrubbed and roughly sliced
A large red pepper; thinly sliced or cut into small cubes
4 ripe apricots, stoned and quartered
Peanut oil; as needed
chilli powder to taste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
2 small green chillies; finely chopped
400ml full-fat yoghurt
A dash of cream
Basmati rice; about a half-a-cup (uncooked) per diner
Shopping list for the paste and sauce
3 tbspn butter, ghee or peanut oil
1½ tspns cumin seeds
1½ tspns mustard seeds
½ tspns powdered fenugreek
½ tspns powdered paprika
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 large piece cinnamon
1 tbspn tomato purée
50g ground almonds
A pinch of soft brown sugar
1 tbspn malt vinegar
A liberal dash of mushroom ketchup or Worcestershire sauce
approx, 650ml passata
100ml crème fraîche or double cream
1 lime, squeezed
Or
A large jar of pre-prepared tikka masala cooking sauce
Cooking method
the basics
In a blender or food processor, "blitz" the garlic, the lime juice and half of the ginger to form the basis of a marinade
Set aside half of this for the rest of the dish and sauce
Place the cubed chicken into an airtight container and baste with the marinade of half of the blender's contents
Seal and store in the fridge for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight
the sauce - from scratch
If you are making the sauce from scratch, you should plan to have at least 3 hours before cooking the final dish. Or, you can make the sauce the day before or even earlier. It will keep safely in an airtight container in the fridge for at least three days.
Using a large pestle and mortar, roughly grind the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, powdered fenugreek, paprika, cardamom pods, cinnamon and almonds together with1 tbspn of tomato purée
Finely chop the green chilli and gently grind it with the other ingredients in the mortar
Meanwhile, in a medium, relatively deep saucepan, heat enough peanut oil (about 3 tbspns) or melted ghee to cover the bottom, on a high heat. Throw in the remainder of the garlic, lime juice and ginger, stirring frequently.
Add one of the cubed onions, stirring and ensuring its sweats until softening without sticking, adding a little additional peanut oil or ghee if needed
Throw in the ground spice mixture, stirring thoroughly, while adding the tomato passata
Add the full-fat yoghurt and cream; the sugar and malt vinegar; still stirring
Add approx. 500ml boiling water to the mix. Boil for about 10 mins.
Reduce the heat substantially and simmer for between 2 and 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until a thick, reddish sauce evolves
The main dish
Heat a little peanut oil in a deep saucepan. Once hot, add the second cubed onion, sweating and stirring. Add the other half of the finely grated ginger, and contents from the food processor, stirring constantly
When the onions soften and the ginger starts to "integrate", add the sliced pepper and celery, stirring and adding a little more oil if needed to prevent sticking
Add the cubed chicken, stirring regularly so that all sides are coated and begin to turn opaque. Add a liberal dash of mushroom ketchup or Worcestershire sauce, boiling off the liquid while preventing sticking and simultaneously caramelising
Once all facets of the chicken are "browned", add the sauce you previously prepared OR a good readymade tikka masala sauce —I'm glad I spoke with my friend Claire this evening: we are so on the same page. We agree that Patak's Tikka Masala sauce is a go-to "old reliable" where a quality readymade tikka masala sauce is needed. It's reassuring to know that such a skilled cook agrees with me. If you can't find that, look out for Sharwood's Tikka Masala Cooking Sauce, from another heritage supplier that's got plenty of provenance
Throw the rustically chopped potatoes and carrots into the cooking pot. You will need extra liquid to bring everything to the boil. Stirring gently, add about a half a cup of hot water to the pot or until all ingredients are comfortably (but barely) covered
Bring to the boil and allow to bubble furiously for between 5 and 7 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently for a further 15mins; or until all ingredients are cooked perfectly without being overcooked and the sauce thickens
The rice
Cook your preferred version of a pilau. My suggested version would be with garlic, vegetable stock, turmeric, bay leaves and a little chilli powder. If you need more inspiration, please take a look here.
Accompaniments
A reliable classic—think of it as the Spaghetti Bolognese of Indian food—even if of equally questionable authenticity. There's a lot you can do to tart up your Tikka Masala.
Poppadoms, oven-heated in the usual way before serving
Sliced raw onion
Chutney; I think a classic mango chutney works particularly well
"Sambal"; a corruption from the Indonesian traditions of the Cape- cubed cucumber, tomato and raw onion in malt vinegar
Variations
For a vegetarian option, simply swap out the chicken for the equivalent volume in butternut squash, pumpkin, tofu or aubergine (or any combination thereof) or simply leave out the chicken and double up on the quantities of carrots and potatoes.
For vegan, do as above, but substitute the yoghurt and cream for coconut milk or coconut cream. Be aware that this will add to the overall sweetness. If this is not to your liking, double up on the amounts of ginger, garlic, bay leaves, lime and fenugreek used in the recipe.
Heat control: this is not a particularly "hot" dish in terms of spices. If you prefer a bit more of a punch, the best option is to increase the number of fresh, chopped chillies used. Chilli powder, especially if added too late in the cooking process, has a tendency to make things hotter but also to taste hot but "powdery" or "dusty".
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